Divine Chocolate and Peanut Butter Hearts

With very little prep and hassle, you can make these sweet tasty bites and wow the special someone on the receiving end. They are probably the quickest tasty treat I have ever made...and cheap too, with only 4 ingredients! They are not the healthiest things however, but who doesn't like a naughty something once and a while.

Ingredients (makes 8 large chocolates)

- 400g chocolate, around 52% cocoa (very cheap from Lidl!)

- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or dairy free nut butter if preferred)

- 1 tsp maple syrup or natural sweet syrup such as 'Sweet Freedom'

- goji berries to decorate

You will need silicone moulds, so that the chocolates come out easily. Mini cupcake cases would also work.

1. Place all of the chocolate into a glass bowl resting on a saucepan with a little water in it. Heat up the saucepan to melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the choc is melted, after around 3 minutes, pour a little into your moulds - about 1 1/2 tbsp each depending on the size of your mould, or 1/2 tsp if using mini cupcake cases. 

2. Put the chocolate in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the peanut butter filling.

3. Mix together the peanut butter and sweetner. If you find it won't mix, heat it up a little in a pan. 

4. By this time, the chocolate in the freezer should be nice and hard. Remove it and spoon 1 tsp of peanut butter filling in the centre. Return them to the freezer for another few minutes.

5. If the chocolate that was heated up has gone a bit hard, pop it back on the hob to heat it up.

6. Finally, once the peanut butter filling has hardened, remove them from the freezer and place another 2 tbsp of chocolate on top, levelling the cups out as much as possible. Decorate with a few goji berries, nut sprinkles or rose petals before returning them to the freezer for a final set - around 2 hours. 

7. If you have used silicone moulds, the chocolates should pop out extremely easily. The outside should be nice and hard, and the centre all gooey and delicious.

Extremely quick and scrumptious - ENJOY!

Naughty Chocolatey Brownies

A brownie recipe that never fails! I made these for 30-40 people in the summer and they were a huge hit. The brownie mix is extremely good, so expect to eat half the mix before cooking!

Ingredients (makes 8 very large pieces)

- 100g plain flour (I have made them using gluten-free flour and they're still very good. Next time I want to try ground almonds)

- 250g unsalted butter

- 300g caster sugar or soft brown sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 75g good quality cocoa powder

- 4 eggs

- 100g plain chocolate or white chocolate (drops or from a bar - not too dark unless you like rich brownies), mashed into small pieces

1. Start by turning the oven to 180°c. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for a few minutes and then gradually add the eggs one at a time.

2. Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and blitz until smooth. 

3. Stir in the chopped chocolate drops or pieces and then place in a suitable lined square cake tin.

4. Put the brownies on the floor of the oven for 25 minutes and then turn the oven down to 140°c (simmering oven) and bake for another 20 minutes in the centre of the oven.

* If you have doubled the mixture, then 40 minutes for baking and 35 for simmering * Try adding chopped nuts or raspberries for someting different *

Easiest Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cups for Valentine's Day

With very little prep and hassle, you can make these sweet tasty bites and wow the special someone on the receiving end. Unfortunately this post is going to ruin my surprise, but I wanted to share these with you before Valentine's Day on Saturday. They are probably the quickest tasty treat I have ever made...and cheap too, with only 4 ingredients! They are not the healthiest things however, but who doesn't like a naughty something once and a while.

Ingredients (makes 8 large chocolates)

- 400g chocolate, around 52% cocoa (very cheap from Lidl!)

- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or dairy free nut butter if preferred)

- 1 tsp maple syrup or natural sweet syrup such as 'Sweet Freedom'

- goji berries to decorate

You will need silicone moulds, so that the chocolates come out easily. Mini cupcake cases would also work.

1. Place all of the chocolate into a glass bowl resting on a saucepan with a little water in it. Heat up the saucepan to melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When the choc is melted, after around 3 minutes, pour a little into your moulds - about 1 1/2 tbsp each depending on the size of your mould, or 1/2 tsp if using mini cupcake cases. 

2. Put the chocolate in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare the peanut butter filling.

3. Mix together the peanut butter and sweetner. If you find it won't mix, heat it up a little in a pan. 

4. By this time, the chocolate in the freezer should be nice and hard. Remove is and spoon one tsp of peanut butter filling in the centre. Return them to the freezer for another few minutes.

5. If the chocolate that was heated up has gone a bit hard, pop it back on the hob to heat it up.

6. Finally, once the peanut butter filling has hardened, remove them from the freezer and place another 2 tbsp of chocolate on top, levelling the cups out as much as possible. Decorate with a few goji berries, nut sprinkles or rose petals before returning them to the freezer for a final set - around 2 hours. 

7. If you have used silicone moulds, the chocolates should pop out extremely easily. The outside should be nice and hard, and the centre all gooey and delicious.

Extremely quick and scrumptious - ENJOY!

Amaretti, Almond and Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from Yummly.com and makes a great alternative birthday cake. It is absolutely delicious and slightly healthier than normal chocolate cake because it doesn't contain added flour. 

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

- 1 1/4 cup of amaretti biscuits (about 25 small ones)

- 3/4 cup almonds

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 a cup of unsalted butter, softened (about 100g)

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 4 eggs

- 8 oz good quality chocolate, melted

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180°c and greasing a 9" cake tin.

2. Place the amaretti biscuits and almonds in a food processor and whizz until a fine meal forms. A bit of crunch is good! Put this mixture into a bowl, stir in the cinnamon and set aside.

3. Heat a little water in a small saucepan. Put a bowl on top of the saucepan and make sure that it doesn't touch the water. Break the chocolate into the bowl and stir until it's melted. Leave this to cool while you finish the rest of the cake.

4. Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the eggs one at a time (with the motor running), and scrape down the sides with a spatular. 

5. Finally add the almond mixture and melted chocolate to the food processor, and stir in the vanilla essence. 

6. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

For the topping, I mixed melted chocolate with a little cream and icing sugar, but you can also dust it with coco powder. This cake is great with creme fraiche, yoghurt and fruit.

Mega Moist Flourless Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Don't you love it when you find a recipe that you know you'll use time and time again. This is one such recipe, from Yummly.com. It is absolutely delicious and slightly healthier than normal chocolate cake because it doesn't contain flour. 

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

- 1 1/4 cup of amaretti biscuits (about 25 small ones)

- 3/4 cup almonds

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 a cup of unsalted butter, softened (about 125g)

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 4 eggs

- 8 ounces good quality chocolate, melted

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180°c and greasing a 9" cake tin.

2. Place the amaretti biscuits and almonds in a food processor and whizz until a fine meal forms. A bit of crunch is good! Put this mixture into a bowl, stir in the cinnamon and set aside.

3. Heat a little water in a small saucepan. Put a bowl on top of the saucepan and make sure that it doesn't touch the water. Break the chocolate into the bowl and stir until it's melted. Leave this to cool while you finish the rest of the cake.

4. Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the eggs one at a time (with the motor running), and scrape down the sides with a spatular. 

5. Finally add the almond mixture and melted chocolate to the food processor, and stir in the vanilla essence. 

6. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

This cake is great with creme fraiche, yoghurt and fruit.

http://instagram.com/p/b4WfQTOkos/

Beetroot and Chocolate Cupcakes

 Ingredients (makes 36 cupcakes)

180g plain flour

75g good quality cocoa powder (I used Green and Blacks)

2 tsp baking powder

240g caster sugar

260g cooked pealed beetroot 

3 large eggs

170ml sunflower or vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

cupcake cases

roughly 3-5 tbsp icing sugar

20g dark or milk chocolate

water

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c and arrange the cupcake cases in cupcake tins or on a baking tray.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl, then add the sugar and set to one side.

3. Purée the beetroot with a blender and then stir in the eggs one at a time. Then pour in the oil and essence. 

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gently add the beetroot mixture whilst stirring.

5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes, until the top is firm when pressed with a finger.

6. Cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.

7. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with a little water. Once it has melted, turn off the heat and sift in the icing sugar. Gradually add the water until it becomes a good consistency for icing.

8. I decorated them with an almond flake, but anything goes!

Rocky Road - Delicious

Ingredients (For Twelve Large Slices)

200g dark chocolate (70% coco solid or higher)

2 tbsp golden syrup

135g butter

100g mini marshmallows

200g Rich Tea or Digestive biscuits

80g mixture of dried cranberries, raisins and dates

20g chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

1. Line small/medium sized baking tray with baking paper.

2. Bash up the biscuits with a rolling pin into medium pieces and put to one side.

3. In a saucepan melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup.

4. Take this off the heat and stir in all the remaining ingredients until the mixture is completely covered.

5. Place the rocky road in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until set, and then cut into pieces and serve with blueberries and ice cream.

Scrumptious!